The expansion and operation of water supply systems under growing demands, hydrologic variability, and water scarcity requires strategic decisions on supply sources for reducing and improving reliability and flexibility. This paper provides an integrated framework to optimize water supply system expansions using dynamic programming and combining short and long term water supply source optimization using quadratic programming. This relates to SDG 6.

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To advance goal 6 (clean water and sanitation), this chapter explores different desalination processes to make seawater drinkable, which is an obvious solution to any water shortages. Given the high-polluting energy required in the desalination process, solar-desalination technologies is considered.

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As the climate continues to change, climate scientists have projected changes in water quantities available for human and other uses. This quantitative study examines how in the US, state water plans and state hazard mitigation plans address climate change. The primary objective of this study is to determine what drives states to plan for the impacts of a changing climate, addressing SDG 13 on climate action.

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Partner content

The Blueprint for Business Leadership on the SDGs aims to inspire all business — regardless of size, sector or geography — to take leading action in support of the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It illustrates how the five leadership qualities of Ambition, Collaboration, Accountability, Consistency, and Intentional can be applied to a business' strategy, business model, products, supply chain, partnerships, and operations to raise the bar and create impact at scale. The Blueprint is a tool for any business that is ready to advance its principled approach to SDG action to become a leader. This chapter relates specifically to SDG 6.

Urban water management via Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) has been successfully applied in cities worldwide. The economic feasibility of SuDS in London improves when considering wider benefits. The investment of stakeholder groups is broken down proportional to their benefits. A financial scheme was defined to facilitate SuDS uptake in London based on available incentives and private investment. This is a straightforward methodology that uses available tools and data, to improve SuDS feasibility in planning phases, related to SDG 6.

An agent-based model is created using data for household characteristics and outdoor water use to calculate water demands. This model represents utility response to water shortages to enact residential restrictions. The agent-based model is coupled with reservoir simulation for a case study, and results are compared to historic data. Sustainability of water policies is evaluated for climate scenarios created using a stochastic reconstruction framework. This is related to SDG 6.

Urban source separation infrastructure systems have a promising potential for a more sustainable management of household food waste and wastewaters. A renewed trend of larger implementations of pilot areas with such systems is currently emerging in Northern Europe. This study investigates the drivers behind the decision of stakeholders to implement source separation systems as well as the importance of the previously existing pilot areas in the decision-making process.

Cities are strongly dependent on infrastructures providing essential services, namely Lifeline Systems (LS) that support societal functions, safety, economic prosperity and quality of life. The operation of LS in ordinary conditions as well as after disasters is crucial. The main aim of the paper is to define a System Dynamic Model (SDM) to assess the evolution of resilience of a drinking water supply system in case of natural disasters, with particular attention to the role of both ‘structural’ and ‘non-structural’ parameters drawing on the L’Aquila (Italy) earthquake as a case study.

An international review of stormwater regulation and practices, especially for low-exposure, landscape irrigation schemes in urban environments, was undertaken with a view to identifying what could be used in Alberta, Canada. A general lack of clear guidance and regulation to manage stormwater quality and potential public health risks was identified, which could be hindering the uptake of stormwater schemes generally.This related to SDG6 and SDG 11.

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Competition for Water Resources: Experiences and Management Approaches in the US and Europe, 2017, Pages 19-35

This book chapter addresses goals 6 and 12 by providing an overview of water resources in Europe and the associated anthropogenic and natural pressures. It further introduces the main instrument of the European Union (the Water Framework Directive) initiated as a response to the expected water crisis.